3D modeling, the process of generating a mathematical representation of a three-dimensional (3D) surface of an object, is an important part of computer vision and applications thereof 3D modeling can be used in various industries like gaming, interior designing, architecture, medicine, etc. Generation of 3D shapes of objects such as bodies and body parts is also an important stage of a virtual fitting, i.e. a process of analyzing a fit between two objects without the objects physically coming into contact with each other. Virtual fitting is useful for the production and selection of products whose shape needs to be adapted to the shape of the bodies or body parts (e.g. shoes, footbeds or arch supports, prostheses, articles of clothing, etc.), such as a body part and an article to be worn on the body.
By way of non-limiting example, virtual fitting of items to purchase is very important for Internet shoe retailing. It is estimated that Internet shoe sales in the U.S. alone generate revenue of over $10 billion annually for retailers. Despite that, Internet shoe retailers suffer from a high volume of returns due to poor fit, since the consumer has no opportunity to try on the shoes prior to placing the order.
Problems of 3D modeling and virtual fitting have been recognized in the conventional art. Various solutions have been proposed. For example:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,975,232 discloses taking a thermal infrared image of a shoe on a foot, taking a thermal infrared image of a shoe having no foot inside, taking a thermal infrared image of a foot not in a shoe, and comparing the images to determine a fit of foot inside the shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,433,502 discloses wrapping a body part with an elastic cover having high contrast marks which are photogrammetrically analyzable, taking overlapping images of the body part from different shooting positions, and processing the images to determine the space coordinates of the photographed body part.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,549,639 discloses placing an object such as a foot on a background pattern of regular repetitive marks, and recording a 2D image to determine where in the image the repetitive marks are interrupted by the object, thereby determining the edge of the object. Multiple 2D images from different perspectives are then used to create a 3D image of the object.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,742,633 discloses reconstructing a 3D model of a foot by having a user wear an elastic sock having specially coded multicolored stripes or spots, and stand on a transparent plane of a platform. Using at least six digital cameras, the contours of the sole and upper part of the foot are recorded and a 3D model is obtained.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,557,966 discloses a scanner comprising a plurality of cameras arranged in pairs and positioned around an object covered by a textured surface and illuminated by unstructured light. The images recorded by the plurality of cameras are stitched to form a point cloud useable for determining a shoe size or for making a customized shoe last.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,406,454 discloses an apparatus for obtaining an outline of a foot in order to select a best matching insole adapter, the apparatus comprising a platform on which both feet are placed, and an optical system which irradiates the feet with near-infrared light and captures an image of each foot and processes the images to identify inner and outer foot contours.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,847,915 discloses a sole measuring device for producing 3D renditions of the bottom of a foot, the device comprising a plurality of linear displacement sensors which measure the displacement caused by the bottom surface of a foot when placed on top of the sensors. A data processor compiles a three dimensional rendition of the bottom of the foot surface from individual data points from the displacement sensors.